Tag Archives: photos

Take a look at this great set (100 in all) that photographer Scott London took during this year’s mother of all freak-fests, Burning Man. I’ve never been myself and honestly, I still haven’t worked up the courage to spend that much time out there in the desert without all the modern amenities I’ve grown accustomed to, but it’s amazing to see such a large group of people creating huge structures, machines and other artwork in the vastness of that terrain.Maybe next year…maybe…

I stumbled upon Richard Barnes’ photography and this set in particular really struck me as beautiful. To me they form a visual bridge of sorts between the museum behind-the-scenes images of Klaus Pichler and the suspended formaldehyde sculptures of Damien Hirst. Perfectly framed beasts, frozen, seemingly caged for all time.

“David Guttenfelder, chief Asia photographer for the Associated Press, who has been given unprecedented access to the isolated Stalinist state as part of the agency’s efforts to expand its coverage there. The pictures are among the most candid ever published in Western newspapers. “

Striking images of a truly isolated society. The photographs also portray a culture mesmerized with, but unable to duplicate the abundance and aesthetic we take for granted in the Western world. American-style food, water parks, etc., all replicated but through a slightly warped lens.

With Instagram just announcing their 150,000,000th photo uploaded and shared, I thought it was a good time to post a couple of my own in loving appreciation for the iPhone app. Instagram is a great way to compose, manipulate and sometimes even promote (General Electric and IBM both have great feeds) photographs that get shared and “liked” by a community of over 7 million and growing. My initial reluctance (I’m a physical Polaroid fan at heart) has gave way to full-on conversion, I have really enjoyed sharing and seeing all the great photos posted from all over the world.

I have a running collection of my Instagrams here. And if you are on Instagram, be sure to say hi, I’m “BryanByczek”.

Frequent readers of my blog know that all the Instagrams and Hipstamatic camera apps in the world won’t replace my love of the original Polaroid. This week marks the unofficial “Polaroid Week” and sites like Flickr and the Impossible Project are celebrating by highlighting some of the incredibly beautiful and artistic creations by their avid fans. I count myself as one of them, having taken hundreds of Polaroids through the years, I cherish my collection and though I may have been lured to the instant digital dark side, nothing can top their look and feel for me.

See some of my Polaroids here, and visit Flickr’s “Roid Week” gallery here. Also, check out the Impossible Project’s blog to see even more great Polaroid galleries!

I included a Lissy Elle image last year in a “Weekly Stimuli” installment (what happened to that feature you may ask? It’s returning soon, but in a more robust form) and knew a dedicated post to her and her work was long overdue. Lissy photographs – sometimes manipulated, edited, photoshopped or staged – are often fantastical and sometimes macabre. They are all expertly composed with little elements you may not catch on first viewing. They have that elusive quality of being able to suck you in, and give the impression they are perhaps a still from a magical film or part of a much bigger story.

The other aspect I find remarkable is that all of Lissy’s work in some shape or form is either injected with a deep feminine tone or translates metaphors and themes most often associated with that gender. In doing so, the images feel as if they are exploring deeply personal thoughts and feelings while simultaneously capturing highly relatable emotional and visual territory.

Quick! Your house is burning down! With precious moments to spare you grab only the most important items in your life and save them from the disaster. This is the premise posed at The Burning House, a tumbler devoted to showcasing submissions from contributors around the world, snapping a well curated shot of what they would grab before it’s all gone. The images are extremely personal – sentimental photos, children’s clothes – and sometimes a little frightening (there’s a lot of knives and guns out there!). Anyone can submit and you bet I’ll be sending in mine soon.

About the Byczek blog

The Byczek Blog was the personal blog of Bryan Byczek. "Was" because it is now shuttered. But fear not, this blog may be closed but in it's wake is a bigger, better website filled with lots more creative inspiration by a great team of talented folks. Visit the new site here: The Exaltation